Everything to Me. AC Taylor. 2017. 177 pages. [Source: Kindle Unlimited.]
Haze and Dominic have an oddly intimate friendship. Dominic’s an R&B star who immediately claims Haze as his friend when he visits her ice cream shop while on vacation in Hawaii. For her part, Haze has run to Hawaii in an attempt to heal from her mother’s recent death. Despite them both being from Dallas, it’s only half a world away that they connect, but they fall into a friendship that’s actually valued by both of them.
They have an open enough friendship that both acknowledge wanting more. On the other hand, both are realistic enough to know that Haze is not well-suited for the high scrutiny and aggressive pace of Dominic’s lifestyle. The author was able to capture their obvious affection for each other, but perhaps a bit too well. I often felt it was unrealistic that the visit in this book was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. But sometimes you just reach a tipping point.
An added complication is that Haze’s best friend, Avery, is behind a popular celebrity gossip blog and podcast. Naturally, Haze feels pressure to insulate her friend from Avery’s scrutiny while balancing her Avery’s career autonomy. I felt this was a core part of the book’s drama that highlighted the challenges in Haze and Dominic pursuing anything seriously. Avery represented a microcosm of the pressures that an unavoidably public relationship would deal with.
The book has its share of side drama. Unsurprisingly, Dominic’s family factors heavily into his career. His mother is overbearing and unnecessarily rude, to me. His less scrupled brother, Darien, is dealing with a woman who seems to be the thorn in his family’s side. The family drama that results is enough for its own book, but at times overshadowed the main issues. Obviously, Dominic’s career and the fact that he collapsed on stage and cancelled a tour is a huge obstacle. The fallout from that is a catalyst for much of the book, and it was interesting to see how he reconciled his truth with those around him.
Despite the drama inherent in this book, I wasn’t too emotionally invested in the characters. Haze was rightfully hurt by losing her mother, but I really wanted someone in her life to push her to seek professional help. Her methods of coping seemed unrealistic, and generally avoidant and unhealthy. Dominic seemed to lack depth, too. While certainly a likable person, there wasn’t much to him besides being famous and having some personal challenges that while not insignificant, didn’t make me feel for him.
I love a good friends to lovers romance. It’s one of my favorite tropes. But something always felt missing for me here. Don’t get me wrong — all the parts were there — there was an endearing friendship, plenty of sexual tension/passion , dramatic situations, secrets, and the link. Despite all that, something just didn’t connect for me to make this a book I couldn’t put down or felt helplessly pulled into. If I gave stars, this would be 3 stars for me on the strength of the pieces all being there (maybe it’s me, not the book?). I’ll still check out some other works from this author, because I’m hopeful that there’s a follow-up to Darien’s drama.
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